‘Don’t Cry For Me Argentina’: No crying in Buenos Aires.

No matter how small you are, 24 hours in transit, across seemingly endless seas – even with the entertainment of new movies on demand and a new set of Dr. Dre Beats – is never a comfortable experience. I swear I tried every single method of curling up, and leant my head in every way trying to imitate a decent nights’ sleep – all to no feat.

But like every thing that takes time, finally arriving in Buenos Aires, the Argentine capital, and apparently the cultural capital of ALL South America was totally worth it.

As a Spanish student, witnessing the verbs and syllables I attempt so often in class, being applied to the real world was freakily satisfying, and being able to choose from a menu without the anxiety of wrongly ordering steak tartare (raw mince, oops, what?! no tartare sauce? Weh! – True story) is really quite comforting.

But more than the words that litter these streets in conversation, and the weather which is superbly ideal for a gradual tan, in the risk of sounding clichéd – this place is really, very cool!

I’m talking about a country of late-night loving, tango dancing, sweet-toothed, insanely carnivorous people; whose adoration of dulce de leche (the best type of caramel you’ve ever had – and I hate caramello koalas, so that’s saying something about the level of caramel here) seems to have no registration on waistlines – I mean, these people sure know how to, metaphorically, “put it away”.

I should have known, this is after all the hometown of Shakira. And well, “hips don’t lie”.

But apart from the effortless swing of every native hip, this city is one whose Sunday Markets are second to none, whose streets are perfectly flat for bike riding enthusiasts yet whose pedestrian crossings are more like death wishes. There are ‘hoods which will transport you to Paris in an instant, and others which are so colourful and musical that you will legit think you are trapped inside a play-box of lego and tango costumes.

But honestly Argentina, I’d happily be trapped here forever, and if you too, happen to find yourself in BA (code for Buenos Aires), check out these gems of a good time!

San Telmo Markets.

Sundays only folks, but oh, so, good! I spent a solid 5 hours touching every bracelet, llama wool jumper, antique and bag. There’s a lot of arts and crafty type stuff if you’re into it, but have a geez for some cultural immersion. A good beat of music, or stall of food is never more than 10 steps away, so spending a day here is really a no-brainer.

Dulce de Leche.

With alfajores (short-bread style cookies), in crepes, in a cone, mixed with ice-cream, oozing from a cake, or just rubbing it all over yourself then licking it off. Do whatever you can to consume as much of this as possible. It’s mandatory.

Inner-city gardens.

If like me, you love a bit of a tree-change, check out the Japanese garden , the Botanic Garden, or even the Constanera Sur reserve.

Chimichurri Sauce.

Why isn’t this magical sauce a ‘thing’ in Western Society? I am positive it is God’s condiment of choice. Much too good for children! Best with burgers, chorizo, steak, pork, bread, vegetables, chips, pancakes, – ok too far, but you geddit!

The Cemetery.

Sounds morbid I know, but this is actually sick! See below for insight!

Cafe Tortoni.

Just do it. Get a coffee, use the bathroom or just have a look around – it’s kind of a big deal.

Tango.

Self-explanatory! Cha Cha Cha! – Not sure if that’s part of the tango, but yeah, WOO!

Camiñita, La Boca.

Refer to said, lego box of tango dreams.

#meateater.

#meateater.

Street Tango in La Boca.

Street Tango in La Boca.

Word.

Word.

Café Tortoni.

Café Tortoni.

Camiñita, La Boca.

Camiñita, La Boca.

Greenhouse Lovin' in the Jardín Botánico.

Greenhouse Lovin’ in the Jardín Botánico.

La Recoleta Cemetary.

La Recoleta Cemetary.

Next up: Iguassu Falls. Stay Tuned Amigos!

Sheona xo.

Chess Mate: 20 essential pals you need in your life.

Image by Hurry Up And Smile Already via Tumblr.

Image by Hurry Up And Smile Already via Tumblr.

I am a huge fan of having countless best mates, inexplicable memories with someone whose name I am not quite sure of, and exposing myself to random social circles. There’s something somewhat magical about once-off memory making which can make someone you actually, legit have only met once, into a life-long pal. I just had this thought while I was washing the weekend mess from my hair, and I thought I’d compose a non-musical compilation of the 20 friends, that EVERYONE must have. Standard shower musings right?

1. The Worst Replier: Lezbehonest, it takes the guilt away from being non-responsive back (you know, sometimes you just can’t be bothered).

2. The Hugger: This one is great for a hug, will pat your head when you’re tired, and hold you close when it’s really cold and you’re walking down Chapel Street after exhausting every indoor option for warmth at 4am.

3. The Puzzler: Someone who is totally cool with staying in and doing a puzzle – to good tunes and good company, puzzling is actually a really enjoyable event!

4. The Friend with the Coolest Friends: You get excited when a house party invitation arrives in your Facebook notifications, because you just know that you are going to meet some of the raddest people ever. I’m not sure how some people just attract rad friends; rad times and are just bloody rad themselves. #rad

5. The old-Best Friend: Someone who saw you go through your mullet and flared jean stage and still agreed to associate you anyway. These guys are essential to gas-bagging the ‘past you’.

6. The Music Scout: Car trips are the best with type of friend, they always manage to have the best playlist ever, full of songs you love within the first 5 seconds. Not sure how they know about new artists before they are even ‘unearthed’, but they manage it. (Could it be alien insight?).

7. The Hippie: Someone who keeps you earthed and always makes you wish you were a) vegan, b) a yogi, c) living in Byron bay d) willing to devote your room to incense, or e) all of the above.

8. The Surfer: There’s nothing quite more attractive than a guy/girl who surfs. Maybe it’s the endlessly ‘beach hair’ hair, or the remembrance of Kate Bosworth in Blue Crush, but I dig it. Surfers are always so chilled, look incredible in surf clothes, and are just so down-to-earth. Enviable right!

9. The Motivational Speaker: We can’t all have Dr. Phil or Oprah on speed dial, but I really think everyone needs a friend like them. The kind of friend you can call when you’re stressing, feeling a little blue, or just really need motivation to start running again. It’s mind-boggling how these people are forever motivated, but it sure is nice to have a taste of the magic when you are with them!

10. The Photographer/Artist/Design Student: Decent instagram pics. That’s all.

11. The Ludicrous Snapchatter: You may not actually be mates, but the genius of their Snapchats makes them best mate worthy! You know the type.

12. The Husband/Wife Material: It’s nice to know there are some goodies out there #amirite.

13. The Friend who gets ALL your jokes: Personally, I am specifically referring to my delirious obsession with throwing in a movie quote here and there (specifically Mean Girls) – It’s nice when others appreciate this kind of gesture. “That’s just, like, the rules of feminism.”

14. The Masterchef: Dinner parties/lunchbox steals are a win when this person is around.

15. The Health Nut: When you really want to feel guilty abut your ‘cheat week’ or want to be reminded that healthy food can be bloody delish!

16. The Connected One: Need a list at a club? Give this pal a call as they are bound to have SOMEONE they know on the door a.k.a free entry, a.k.a drink cards, a.k.a gooooood times!

17. The Shopper: When you are poor/saving for Europe/saving for South America/at Uni and have no spare cash to splurge on a good outfit, it’s great to have a friend who doesn’t know the perils of being broke. They have the best clothes, and have always just gone shopping, again, for the third time, that week. And actually bought good stuff! Its essential here, that you a) fatten up, or b) slim down, or c) get taller – in my case – so you can actually take advantage of this GREAT type of friend.

18. The Breakfast Lover: I have never encountered anyone who would pass up a breakfast date. If you have, then we are probably not friends anyway so it doesn’t matter! Yay for breakfast.

19. The Secret Keeper: No judgment, no scrubs, just nods and agrees and totally is on your side, even if they shouldn’t be. These guys are needed for moral support.

20. The Joker: Laughing. Its gotta happen, and its gotta happen often. There is not better feeling than gaining an almost 6-pack after a non-gym sesh. These types of friends are great for both a hilarious gag, and the summer bod!

So here’s to my friends, your friends, our friends and your mum’s friends!

“I wish I could bake a cake filled with rainbows and smiles and everyone would eat and be happy.”

Hope I didn’t miss anyone, if you think of another essential type of pal, i’d love to know about it! Send love to [email protected], or use the form below!

xo

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A passionate discussion on passion, not pashing.

Image

There’s a lot of noise at the moment about passion.

Passionfruit has always been delish, and Passiona a somewhat refreshing beverage.

But take away these suffixes, then your’e just left with little old passion. Just. Left. With. Passion. A 7 letter gem that shapes a lot of what the mystics call their ‘life-purpose’, what the entrepreneurs label their ‘calling’, and what I like to call, something bloody massive I just cant decide on.

I mean, personally, I want to be a writer, a dancer (currently I’m perfecting the moonwalk), a surfer (thanks Blue Crush), a corporate bitch, a band-member, a hippie who lives in a combi in Byron and sells handmade jewellery, a yoga instructor, a Buddhist monk, a mining magnate, Miranda Kerr… basically, everything under the sun.

I guess in my fiasco of options, I am desperately just trying to define my, wait for it… PASSION.

As I learn more about the said, 7 letter-er, I can safely say the two of us are slowly becoming friends.

Motivational books will tell you to “follow your passion” if happiness is what you truly seek, but thanks Confucius, how am I meant to follow something when I don’t even know what it looks like? There is no road-sign, no Google answer, not even a Wikipedia article that precisely tells me what my passion is. So, your notions of living a purposeful life are really of no help to me at all, not unless you help me find it anyway.

So I assigned myself a James Bond mission to get to the bottom of the P word. What I found was surprisingly simple.

What. Do. You. Love. 

But here’s the catch, you have to limit it to 10. And list them in order.

These are your passions. Voila!

A 10-point list could very well include:

·      Cheerleading,

·      Shopping,

·      Travelling,

·      Eating McDonald’s fries,

·      Being with friends,

·      Reading,

·      Watching the Disney Channel,

·      Playing in the pool,

·      Playing with dogs,

·      Being in the sun.

Please note these are the Top 10 ‘passions’ of my 12 year-old sister.

So enlighten me, how on earth is she going to make a career out of being a dog-loving, junk-food munching, cheerleader? Truth is, mate, she’s not.

So as an informer big sister, do I tell her to discard all these fun things because, well honey, that ain’t gon’ pay the bills? 

Nope, I tell her to lap them up, do these things, and do them often!

Do them for as long as you stop loving doing them, and when you do, find something more fun and enjoyable to replace them.

Because they are your passions.

(P.S she later argued, telling me that people actually can make money being a cheerleader, enough for a 50-cent cone anyway!)

I think what we get caught up in, is thinking that you have to find passion in a job or career, but truthfully, that would be condemning your crazy passions into a tiny hole and saying, ‘don’t move, breathe, or smile. No fun allowed’. Passion is so much more multi-faceted. 

Sure, we would all love to be Oprah, or Kelly Slater, doing for a job what we LOVE, but let’s be realistic. Don’t think that if you are not able to land your dream job on Getaway, that you are going to live in misery, you can be as happy as Pharrell, even if you are the toilet cleaner at Flinders Street Station on a Saturday night.

But “how” you scream. I’ll impart my wisdom with you, it’s all about how you spend the remaining 77 hours of your week (considering a 35 hour work week and 56 crucial beauty sleep provisions).

That my sweet child, is where you live your passions. Read, dance, bake, write, sing, play, laugh and laugh some more!

Even if you just spend half your free time doing the things you love, you have already outbid your day job. Kapish?

So basically, yeah. Homework for this week, list your ten passions, and sacrifice Game of thrones to play out your own fanstasy!

I would love to hear your thoughts on the passionate topic, and what activities and things come up in your Top 10 list.

 

P.S Take a leaf from Janey’s book, this gal is one passionate painter!